Hi! After much research, I've decided to add ducks to my homestead. I'm interested in a good forager for pest control that can also provide eggs and meat. I have a natural pond on my wooded property and plan to free range. Silver Appleyards are at the top of my list, but I'm also open to other...
I was worried about my broody hen accepting newly (incubator) hatched chicks. Well maybe I should have worried about her instead. I caught this little monster pecking his foster mom! 🤣
I gave newly hatched chicks to my broody hen last night. She seems to have accepted them. Of course there was a terrible thunderstorm in the middle of the night that woke me up in a panic, but they all made it through safely!
I'm expecting chicks to start hatching tomorrow. I've got my broody hen set up on our porch in a dog kennel (chick starter, water and grit just outside of frame in the photo). Hopefully she accepts the chicks! She's been a dedicated broody so far.
Here's some of my flock. The highest roost I built for them is probably about 6' high. Well, you can see a few started roosting up in the rafters, so I put a wider board up there for them to make sure their get would stay covered in freezing temps.
I started a flock of Icelandics last year and they've been great! I wouldn't say they are the right bird for confinement, but mine don't really fly that much. They can fly over a 4' poultry net fence if they want to though. I mostly let them free range. They've never roosted in the trees but...
That's part of the fun! I would probably candle more, but I've had a couple close calls and one damaged egg for my clumsiness. Thankfully I managed to save the egg (and now beautiful pullet) with beeswax.
Same here! My chickens lay white eggs so I can see development really early on just by holding the flashlight to them. I don't handle them or take them out at all.
I have a NR360 and my manual says press and hold the "menu" and "-" button together for 5 seconds. Mine beeps very loudly when reset. I'm not sure why they made the beep so loud on these things! Hope it works for you.
Of course after setting eggs in the incubator one of my hens has gone broody! I'm thinking if she keeps it up I'll see if she'll accept the chicks once they hatch.
Completely understandable! Shipped eggs are so stressful. I think you'll still get a hatch though.
As an alternative to a generator, I plug my incubator into a backup UPS (like what you'd plug your desktop computer into). It's gotten my hatches through a few power outages without interruption...
They might be ok! Hens get off the nest for periods of time when incubating their own.
Also the air temp will drop much faster than the inside of the egg. I suggest covering the incubator to help hold the remaining heat.
How long has the power been out? What day are your eggs on...
I'll join too. I set Icelandic eggs on Tuesday with a hatch date of 3/7. These are from my own hens finally, not shipped eggs, so I'm a bit less stressed. 😅
I'll certainly post updates over on the Guinea forum. I'm still waiting for my tentative ship date. The website says May but I'm not sure how far booked they are now.